Collapsible flat-lying handle



June 6, 19 1 R. w. FRAMBES 2,987,151

COLLAPSIBLE F LAT-LYING HANDLE Filed Sept. 14, 1959 34 F 24 9- r IN V EN TOR. ROLAND W. FRAMBES ATTORNEY U St This invention relates to a handle for luggage, carrying cases and similar containers adapted to be pulled into an arched carrying position and to be readily collapsed into a flat non-carrying position against a wall of the container.

Heretofore, a simple collapsible flat-lying luggage handle commercially available consisted of a pair of hollow guide housings anchored to the wall of a container and an elongated grip portion comprised of an elongated blade of steel spring with a sheath of leather, plastic or other material receiving and covering the spring. Opposed ends of the guide housings were open to receive the ends of the grip portion and there retain the grip portion by lugs in the housings which passed through elongated slots at the ends of the grip portion. The slots were provided in both the spring blade and the sheath so that in the arched or carrying position the slots showed through the ends of the grip portion which were withdrawn from the guide housings.

It is the primary object of the invention to provide a collapsible fiat-lying handle of the character described wherein no slots show through the withdrawn ends of the grip portion when the handle is arched into its carrying position thereby improving its appearance.

Another object of the invention is to provide a handle of the character described in which the sliding action of the grip portion in the guide housings is improved because the end portions of the grip sheath contacts metal and not the material from which the container is made.

Another object of the invention is to provide a collapsible fiat-lying handle which while functional and attractive is nevertheless simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

These and other objects will become more apparent as the following description proceeds in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the handle;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1 with the handle in the arched carrying position; and

FIGURE 4 is a group perspective view of the guide housing, plate and end of the grip portion of the handle.

Specific reference is now made to the drawing wherein similar reference characters are used for corresponding elements throughout.

The present invention relates to a handle construction of the type which is adapted to lie flat, as shown in FIG- URES 1 and 2, against a wall of a piece of luggage 12 and to be pulled into an arched carrying position as suggested in FIGURE 3. It is to be understood that the term luggage as used herein means brief cases, trunks, handbags, suitcases and any and all carrying cases, such for example as portable radios, phonographs, etc. The basic elements of the handle are the guide housings 14, the anchor members 16 and the hand grip portion 18.

The hand grip portion comprises a flat blade spring 20 which is provided adjacent each end with an elongated slot 22 and a tubular sheath 24 of leather, plastic or other materials coextensive With and receiving the blade spring in the interior thereof. The sheath, in etfect, has an upper wall 26 and a lower wall 28 which faces the luggage. The upper wall 26 is continuous throughout its length but tes Patent the lower wall 28 includes a slot 30 adjacent each of its ends which is coextensive and in registry with each of the slots 22 adjacent the ends of the blade spring 20.

The anchor members 16 comprise a substantially rectangular plate 32 having a substantially L-shaped lug 34- having an upper wall 40, side walls 42 from which depend legs 44, and an end wall 46, the other end of the housing being open as at 48.

To assemble the handle and attach it to the luggage or carrying case, each end of the hand grip portion is hooked over the lug 34 of the anchor member 16, the vertical member 50 of the lug extending through the slots 22 and 30 of the blade spring and lower wall 28 of the sheath 24 respectively, the horizontal portion 52 of the lug'extending slidably between the spring blade 20 and the upper continuous wall 24 of the sheath, as shown in FIG- URE 3.

The plates 32 are placed against the wall 10 of the luggage at predetermined locations and the legs 44 are passed through the slits 38 of the plates and through appropriate slits in the luggage wall 10- and then clinched, the lower edge of the side and end walls of the guide housing bearing against the anchor plate 32.

Thus the ends of the hand grip portion extend into the guide housings through the open ends 48 thereof and are anchored therein via the lugs 34 of the plates 32. It will be seen that in moving the handle from the flat-lying position of FIGURES 1 and 2 to the arched carrying position of FIGURE 3, the action is smooth and non-binding because the lower walls 28 of the leather or plastic sheaths 24 ride over the faces of the metal plates 32 rather than over the wall 10 of the luggage itself. Moreover, because the upper wall 26 of the sheath is continuous and there are slots 22 and 30 only in the spring blade 20 and lower sheath wall 28 through which the anchor lugs 34 extend, there are no unsightly slots showing through the end portions of the sheath when the handle is in its fully arched carrying position.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been here shown and described, skilled artisans may make minor variations without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A collapsible luggage handle comprised of an elongated hand grip portion capable of being arched into a carrying position and flattened to a non-carrying position, said hand grip including an elongated fiat spring and a tubular shield coextensive with and receiving said spring, slots in said spring adjacent its ends and elongated in the direction of the handle length, said shield including a continuous upper wall and a lower wall and having elongated slots only in said lower wall in registry with said spring slots, guide housings adapted to be secured upon a piece of luggage in spaced relation to each other, said guide housings receiving end portions of said hand grip, and means in said housings slidably engaged in said registered spring and shield slots, said means including a lug in each housing having a vertical portion extending into said registered spring and shield slots and a horizontal portion disposed between said spring and said upper wall of said shield, said lugs opening away from each other.

2. A collapsible luggage handle comprised of an elongated hand grip portion capable of being arched into a carrying position and flattened to a non-carrying position, said hand grip including an elongated fiat spring and a tubular shield coextensive with and receiving said spring, slots in said spring adjacent its ends and elongated along the handle length, said shield including a continuous Patented June 6, l961 upper wall and a lower wall and having elongated slots only in said lower wall in registry with said spring slots, a pair of plates adapted to be positioned on a piece of luggage in spaced relation, a pair of guide housings having depending legs extending through said plates and adapted in turn to extend through the piece of luggage and to be clinched thereto, said guide housings receiving end portions of said hand grip, and upstanding substantially L-shaped lugs carried by said plates, disposed in said housings and opening away from each other, the vertical portions of said lugs extending slidably into said registered spring and shield slots and the horizontal portions of said lugs being disposed slidably between said spring and said upper wall of said shield.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said shield is non-metallic and said plates are metallic.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Avery May 20,

Thiele Apr. 24,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain May 22,

Great Britain June 5,

Great Britain Oct. 22, 

